Nearly 90 per cent of children receive first choice of primary school
Thousands of Plymouth primary children will find out today which school they will be going to in September.
The latest figures show that 88.12 per cent of city children received their first choice of school this year. 5.96 per cent of children received their second choice and 2.08 per cent their third choice.
Just 3.84 per cent of children did not receive any of the schools they listed as a preference and so were allocated a place at the nearest school with a vacancy. This figure has improved from last year, only 112 children compared to 140 last year, although the percentage has increased due to the increased number of applications this year.
Letters confirming school places for September 2015 were posted yesterday. Those parents who filled out an online application form were emailed with their results.
A total of 3,045 applications were submitted for primary school places this year. That compares with 2,898 last year, when the Council was able to match 88.12 per cent of families with their first choice of primary school.
Assistant Director for Learning and Communities, Judith Harwood, said: "We know what a stressful time it can be when you find out which school your child has been allocated, so we work really hard to make sure we are able to match the majority of children with their first choice of school and to support families when this isn’t possible.
“Our school admissions team are professional, experienced and committed and try to meet all parents requests; this means that out of 3,045 children only 112 have not been allocated a first, second or third choice place.
“As a Council we are determined to ensure parents and their children have choice over their education, so we are continuing to invest in our schools through expanding existing ones, encouraging the development of new schools where appropriate and helping to construct new school buildings.
“We are currently building two permanent primary school expansions and a new three form entry primary and nursery academy all due to open in September 2015.”
The City Council has a statutory duty to provide enough school places across the city.
Currently there are enough spaces within the city to accommodate everyone who has applied for a school place and there is a reasonable bank of surplus spaces (approximately six per cent).
Judith continued: “Unfortunately, it is not always possible to offer your child a place in your preferred school and any parent who is unhappy about the school place their child has been allocated please call our school admissions team on 01752 307166. Lines are open between 11am and 3pm or alternatively email us on primary.admissions@plymouth.gov.uk.
“If we were unable to allocate to your first, second or third choice and offered you an alternative which you either need further information about or would like to know about other alternative options please contact us; we work with individual families to support them in finding the right school for their child.”
Parents are also being reminded that for any school they ranked higher than the one allocated, their child will automatically be placed on a waiting list for that school and will be considered if a vacancy comes up between now and the start of the school year.
Full details of admissions guidance and appeals information can be found by visiting www.plymouth.gov.uk/schooladmissions
